Flush ventilator



,Apfil 2, 1946. I F. "N. NELSON 2,397,584

FLUSH VENTILATQR Filed April 5, 1943 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY FEED ACNE/.50-

v F. N. NELSON FLUSH VENTILATOR Filed April 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR F? /Y. NELSON ATTO R N EYb' Patented Apr. 2, 1946 UNITEb STATES PATENT OFFICE Fred N. Nelson, Seattle, Wash., assignor to Safety BoatCompany, Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application April 5, 1943, Serial No. 481,834

2 claims. This invention relates tovntilators for ships, boats and the like, and it has reference more particularly to ventilators of a type that will admit air freely in the normal use of the ventilator, and will close automaticallyagains't inflow. of water in the event that, spray or. waves should break over the deck of a ship in rough weather; it being the principal objectof this] invention to provide improvements in. ventilators of the kind above stated th at.especial ly adapts them for bulkhead installations. and. provides and for, flush deck openings for inflow of the ientilating air and leaves all outside .walLsurfaces with which the ventilator is associated, clear and unobstructed with no projections on the deck-or bulkhead.

.More specifically stated, itis the object of this invention to provide aventilatpr that will function effectively and efiiciently in all kinds of weather, never requiring .that the air inlet port be closed against inflow of water that might result from high seas, spray or waves breaking over the deck;

this being by reason of the ventilator air duct being equipped with watersheds anda normally open valve that operates automatically, by water 4 flotation to close the air outlet from the duct, and. with means for theautornatic draining off of the water that may enter the air duct of the ventilator.

sun further objects of theinvention reside in "5 the details of constructionof ventilators for use in boats as a meansto I protect theengine and electrical devices, etc., against drowning.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have; provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 .is a sectional view, taken .in a vertical plane through a ventilator embodied by thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, taken on the line 2 2 inFig.1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the float valve used in the ventilator, particularly illustrating its mounting means and the guide rods'.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the present ventilator as applied to a bulkhead.

Fig. 6 is a sectional detaiLsl owing mean s for holding the automatic valve in closed position and a closure for the air port.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the sealing gasket.

Referring more in detail to the drawingsits lower edge.

In Figs. 1 and 2, ll! designates what may be the deck of a ship, and. I2 designates what. maybe the bulkhead of a forecastle, bridge or other superstructure. In the deck, adjacent .the. bulkhead, is an opening 1.3 and this ishere shown as being coveredby a flush. grating IA.

Leading downwardly from the openingl3 and at the inside of the bulkhead, is a watertight housing forming an air duct I5. The upper end of this housing is somewhat flared and is in direct com munication with the deck opening 13.. vAt its lower end, it communicates with a clearing port or opening it in the bulkhead. This water-tight; housing is closed at. opposite sides by the parallel sidewalls ll-ll and the inclined walls Ila and Ho which provide the ,flare'at the upper end of the passage, as shown best in. 2. Opposite the side of the passage that is closed by the bulkhead, the housing is closed at its upper end by aminclined wall plate I8, that extends downwardly from the deck, a vertical Wall section l9 thatjoins with the plate I8, and an inclined lower end closure plate 28 that is welded at its top edge to the lower edge of plate I9 and to the bulkhead along It is to be observed, by reference to Figs. 1 .and 2, that the lower edge portions of the inclined plates Ila and l'lband the plate I 8 overhang the line of their connection with the plates l 1-l I and I9, respectively. Formedin the plate 19, directly beneath the overhanging portion of the plate H3, is an airport, or passage 22 opening into the space that is to be ventilated.

|A horizontally disposed plate,,23 is welded to the plate. I!) across theto-p edge of the opening 22, .andto the lower edge portion of the plate 18. This plate, as will .presently beexplained, serves to mount the upper ends of guide rods by which the automatic closure ,valve is mounted and uided in its travel between open and closed positions. v

The port 15 which opens through the bulkhead is equipped with a valve, or closure plate 2,5, having its upper portion disposed inside of the housing, and its lower portion disposed at the outside of the bulkhead. This valve plate ish'ingle dly mounted by a horizontal shaft or rod 26 that is sup-ported inwardly offset from the bulkhead, as.

noted best in Figs. 1 and 3. The rod 26 is mounted at its opposite ends in brackets 21 fixed. to the bulkhead, and the valve'is equipped with inwardly extending ears or lugs 29 which pivot on the rod. The particular ,manner in which this valve plate ishingedly suspended, causes it to .normally as sume a position closing the port It. However,

it is adapted to be moved to an open position, as

has been indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, for the release and outflow of any water that might wash into the lower end of the housing through the deck opening It will be understood, by referenceto Fig. 1, that air may enter the passage or duct l5 through the grating of the deck opening, and may flow downwardly therein" to pass into theventilatjed space through the opening 22. However, in view of the anticipated uses of the device, and especially in view of the ventilator having its air inlet opening in a deck, which may bethe top deck or outside deck of a ship or submarine, it is anticipated that at times, it may be fiooded'with water due to the breaking of waves across or over.

the deck of the ship. Therefore, it is desirable to provide means in the ventilator to prevent the flooding of the ventilated space, *smanamounts of water entering the passage I5 through'tlie sage is in an excessive amount, it is then desir able that some means be p-rovidedto close the air port 22, at least temporarily, so that no water will be allowed to enter the ventilated space; Fo this purpose, I have provided the automatic valve which is designated in its entirety by reference numeral 30 and which; in Figs. 1 and 2, is shown in its open position. This valve preferably is made of sheet metal andis of the box-like form illustrated. Also, it is adapted to move vertically solid seas, and it is anticipated that it will open as soon as the waterdrains off.

It is desirable that a flexible gasket as at 40 be "tight seal with the gasket 40 about the opening 22.

. The preferred type of gasket is that shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 7, and comprises a strip of painted canvas 40, or the like, folded back upon'itself and secured "by an overlying strip Al and rivets from its normal open position disposed below the level of the opening 22,.to a closed position overlyingthe opening, as seen in Fig. 6. 'The means for supporting the valve when open'and for guiding it in its travelbetween open and closed position comprises an angle bar' 33 that is fixed horizontally to the inside of the wall plate I9 somewhat below the opening '22. Guide rods '34 and Mare-extended between the angle bar 33 and the plate 23 previously mentioned. 'The'disposition of these two guide rods is-best shown in Fig. 2, wherein it is observed that, respectively, they are disposed, close to the opposite side walls |.'!|1 of the :air duct l5,;withthe float valve 30 located between them. T Fixed to the opposite side walls of. the valve 5 are b rackets 35 each having laterally turned. feet 36at'upper and lower ends. These feet are formedwith openings 31 and'the guide rods are'e'xtendedthrough the openings in the feet of corresponding brackets.

essential.

this type of'ventilator be confined in its use to- 42, to the wallmemb'ers.

I Ventilators of this particular character are especially suited for the ventilation of such war vessls'asisubmarines and aircraft carriers, where flush deck and bulkhead openings are desirable or However,' it is not the intention that any particular'kind of ship. vessel, or boat.

Furthermore, such ventilators may be made in various'siz'es and the air port 227may open directly to aventilated space, or a pipe or conduit may connect withthe opening to lead to any designated space. Also, such ventilators may be used for either the supply or exhaust of air.

In Fig. 5, I have shown the adaptation of this ventilator to abulkhead where both the air inlet and the water clearing port are in the bulkhead. In this view the upper end of the air duct I5 is formed with a cowl opening through the bulkhead opening 46. Otherwise the valve is substantially like the structure already described and its corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters.- 7 V V In-the event that'it should be found desirable to retain'th'e automatic valve 30, in a tightly closed position fo-rf example, as a protection against inflow'oi poisongasesI have shown in Fig. 6 the valve-as being equipped with a lift'rod passing through a 'giiide in the bottom wall 29; this red beingequipp'ed-atits lowerend with a ratchet closed positions and to'be held in either selected By reference more particularly to Figs. 1 and 4,

it is to be observedthat each guide rod isformed near its upper end with a portion 34a that is inclined toward the wall portion l9, and at a lower pointit is formed with outwardly curved'portions 39. The face of the valve that is adjacent the wall IE3 is normally inwardly spaced from the wall, for easy movement of the valve. Howeven when the valve' is lifted byfflotation in water within the housing, the1ears of the mounting brackets en gagewith these outset portions 34a and 39 of, the guide rod, thus to move the valve outwardly and tightly against, the wallv plate l9 across theair passage 22. I

Itzwill be understood that the automatic float I tors are applied.in placesthat' are not exposed V position by latches of any suitable kind, not hereinshown'.

It is anticipated that changes in the details of construction, both in the. ventilator of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, might be made, and without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is not the'desire that the claims be confined to details, but that they be given an interpretation that is commensurate with the scope of the invention disclosed. H

It is the understanding that when such ventilato any material extent to the seas and weather, they; neednot be equipped with the float valve. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein=and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent 15:: 7.

1. In combination'with-a deck and a bulkhead joined. with and .extendingdown from the deck and formingaweatherprotected area of a venilator for said area, comprising a.housing forming a vertical air passage along-the inside of thebulkhead communicating at its upper end with a deck housing within the protected area and applied to said bulkhead and forming an air passage connecting the upper and lower openings therein, an

automatic valve in the lower opening of the bulkhead for clearing the passage 0! water; said housing having a lateral opening intermediate its ends into the protected area, a float valve in the passage adapted to be lifted by flood water to close over the lateral opening, and a plate overhanging the lateral opening and float valve to protect them against flood water entering the upper opening.

FRED N. NELSON. 

